House committees have subpoenaed Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue over allegations of accepting fraudulent or illegal donations for left-wing candidates. The Committees, led by Rep. Bryan Steil, Rep. James Comer, and Rep. Jim Jordan, accuse ActBlue of misleading their investigation and withholding cooperation. The subpoena comes after a joint probe since 2023, which expanded to include concerns about foreign contributions. ActBlue faces a deadline of August 12 to comply.
The committee’s letter to ActBlue emphasized allegations that online fundraising platforms have accepted fraudulent donations, prompting oversight for potential legislative reforms. Despite initial cooperation from ActBlue in April and May, the company’s abrupt change in June led to the subpoena. The committees accused ActBlue of not providing a legitimate legal basis for refusing cooperation and making false accusations against the Committees’ motives. This escalates an ongoing probe, which has expanded from concerns about security protocols to foreign donations.
ActBlue’s spokesperson has previously denied claims of inadequate security measures but has not commented on the latest subpoena. The committees have been jointly investigating ActBlue since raising concerns about their donation practices in 2023. At that time, Steil accused ActBlue of failing to properly account for private citizens’ security by not requiring a CVV number for credit card donations. That has since changed, however, and ActBlue does currently require that information.
The probe has since expanded to question whether ActBlue accepted donations from foreign actors. Late last month, the committees subpoenaed current and former ActBlue employees to appear for transcribed interviews. They also previously subpoenaed ActBlue itself in October 2024. Their new subpoena to ActBlue and letter to CEO Regina Wallace-Jones is another escalation in the probe. The subpoena gives ActBlue a deadline of August 12 to turn over documents lawmakers are seeking. Fox News Digital reached out to ActBlue for comment but did not immediately hear back.
The committees have claimed that ActBlue lied about the Committees ‘improperly coordinating’ with the Department of Justice (DOJ) on the matter and gave a weak explanation for its lack of cooperation. The lawmakers stated that ActBlue’s assertion that the Committees are pursuing oversight for an improper purpose of fact-finding for a DOJ investigation is inaccurate. They emphasized that the Committees have a legislative interest in protecting the integrity of federal elections and upholding fundamental civil liberties by ensuring that online fundraising platforms are not vulnerable to bad actors, including foreign actors.